Deathstalker
by Inthretis
Summary: When the dead body of her teammate surfaces, it brings back harsh memories for Ruby, who's had some issues she's had to deal with. Now she's been brought on to investigate the murder due to her unique insight into the mind of a killer. Her past continues to haunt her, and so does the very idea of this murderer. How will this unfold?


It was a cold, cloudy morning in Vale when the body was found.

"Oh gods, I'm going to be sick," the young man heaved over the dirt.

"Avert your eyes deputy. You're too young for this," the detective held him back. He then swore, "Damn. This just got worse."

"Sir?"

"She's wearing a Beacon uniform. We've got a huntsman killer on the loose."

It was lying face down in a landfill, the body dumped there. An errant worker found it after tripping. The officers could make out bruises all over her body and marks around the victim's neck. She had black hair and pale skin, a black bow resting on her head.

* * *

"Have a seat, Miss Rose," the detective sat opposite to her, a gray room with a gray table between them.

"Detective," Ruby sat down, a neutral expression on her face. After a moment, she glared at the man before her, "Are you going to charge me or ask me questions?"

"Depends. I'll be honest with you, Miss Rose. You are at the top of the suspect list. You were Miss Belladonna's teammate and leader, and the only one in your year with a known history of violence, mental illness, and—"

"I didn't do it," Ruby interrupted, a snarl on her face, "I'm better now."

"Do you have an alibi?"

She nodded, "I was at Beacon, in my dorm room. My sister was there too. We were playing video games."

"And your sister will confirm?"

Ruby nodded.

"How do I know she isn't covering for you?"

She took a deep breath, "Because detective, she was the one who turned me in before."

He paused for a second before continuing, "In any case—"

The door slammed open. General Ironwood stepped into the room, with an orange-haired girl in tow.

"G-general!"

Ironwood frowned at the detective, "You know full well of the regulations. Investigations into the death of a hunter must be done with a cooperating investigator with huntsman expertise. You did no such thing, and have already dragged in a poor girl for questioning."

"General, this _girl_ was convicted of triple homicide when she was twelve!"

"I don't care if she's the Queen of the Grimm! You know the rules. Follow them," Ironwood glared at the detective, but also frowned when his eyes shifted to Ruby Rose, "Headmaster Ozpin has decided that Atlas Academy is in a better position to lead the investigation. He understands that we have better resources."

The detective's eyes bulged out, "Y-you're—!"

Ironwood shook his head, "I am too busy heading security for the Vytal Festival coming next month. There are only two people that I know and trust who could lead this investigation, and unfortunately, the more experienced one is currently fighting a kraken," he paused for a moment before gesturing to the girl by his side, "This is Penny Polendina. She is a licensed criminal investigator and a huntress-in-training. She will do well."

The headmaster looked down at the sitting detective, "She is to have your full cooperation, and while she is pursuing likely suspects, follow the regulations before I have you tried in a court of law. I'll win, by the way."

He left the room, but not before handing Penny an identification card and a manila folder.

"Well, that happened," Penny said. She turned to the detective, "I'm sorry for the General's behavior. He's been quite busy as of late, and he's gotten…" she paused for a bit, "Cranky. I believe that's an apt descriptor."

"It's not every day a councilman, huntsman headmaster, and general yells at you for breaking regulations as he appoints a teenager to a murder investigation," the detective mused. He groaned as stood up and held out his hand, "Detective Lagoon."

"Salutations detective," Penny shook his hand, "Penny Polendina, criminal investigator and huntress-in-training. I hope we have a sensational time working together."

"I hope we can catch the killer and bring justice."

Ruby slowly raised her hand, "Am I still under investigation?"

Penny and Lagoon looked at each other. Eventually, Penny said, "Don't worry Ruby, I know you're innocent."

Ruby breathed out a sigh of relief, "Penny, you don't know how good that sounds."

Lagoon frowned, "You know each other?"

"Yes, we're friends. I trust her, even if she is a convicted criminal and we should definitely talk about that later. Furthermore," Penny said pointedly as she looked through the file in her hands, "I doubt Ruby could actually beat up Blake Belladonna and strangle her. She's lacking in the melee department."

"See?" Ruby crossed her arms and smirked, before it disappeared, "Wait, did you say strangled?"

Penny plopped the file down on the table, showing the pictures taken of the body, "She was attacked, beaten, then was strangulated. Afterwards, she suffered further postmortem beatings."

"Are you seriously showing a convicted underage felon classified crime scene reports?" Lagoon crossed his arms.

"You're right. My mistake," Penny blinked before asking, "Ruby Rose, would you like to be hired as a consultant by the Atlesian military for the murder of Blake Belladonna?"

"Sure," Ruby shrugged.

"Well there we go. After all, what better person to get inside the mind of a killer than another one?"

Lagoon covered his eyes and sighed, "This has to be against regulations."

"That is a negative, my dear colleague," Penny held a finger up, "Article LIX, section seven, paragraph five states that I have the ability to hire consultants for their expertise on specific aspects of the huntsman occupation at my discretion."

"She is a criminal."

"One attending a huntsman academy. Surely becoming a protector of mankind has roughly the same responsibility as bringing justice to the murdered," Penny pointed out, "Besides, she won't be going anywhere near the evidence or the crime scenes."

"What? Fine, sure. There isn't even a murder weapon to look over," Ruby agreed, "I'll be fine looking at pictures and talking to suspects."

"This is a terrible idea."

"There is precedent. Twice in the past twenty years, the latter time leading to a conviction. So long as we follow police procedure, all is good. Besides, Ruby can follow the rules right?" she beamed at Ruby.

"Yep," Ruby gave out a smile. Lagoon took a step back. She continued, "I'm a reformed criminal. I regret my actions and all that."

"Very well," Lagoon relented, "Let's see what you two got. Beaten then strangled, then postmortem beatings. The killer was angry, livid."

"Blake was pretty decent at melee combat," Ruby said, "She used a sword, but didn't have it on her. Her killer didn't have their weapon either. This indicates some intelligence, since most hunter weapons are easily distinguishable."

"It must have been another hunter-trained individual. Someone strong enough to break through aura," Lagoon said.

"Anyone with aura could potentially break through another's, it just requires enough application," Penny said. "Blake was a former White Fang member before deserting. Perhaps this is a revenge killing?"

Ruby stared at the pictures. She took it all in: Blake's broken face, the dried blood coating her uniform, the bruises laid out across her body. Something about it made Ruby's stomach turn. Not out of fear or disgust, but out of…

Lagoon shook his head, "No, the last time a White Fang deserter was killed, it was professional, more like an assassination than an angry beating."

"I know what this is."

Penny and Lagoon turned to Ruby, who continued, "A crime of passion. This wasn't just murder, this was eliminating the competition."

"Ruby, you don't mean…"

"Yeah, there's another lovesick killer out there," Ruby frowned, "I'm sure of it."

"How sure?" Lagoon pressed.

"I can imagine myself doing the exact same thing to Blake, given the right chance."

* * *

After they came up with plans for their investigation, Detective Lagoon left, leaving Ruby and Penny alone to eat.

"So, criminal investigator. How long has that been happening?" Ruby asked as she sipped her milkshake.

"Three hours and eighteen minutes," Penny replied, looking at the burger before her with curiosity, "I became a detective because of this case."

"Oh. Huh. How long have you known about it?"

"Five hours. Ironwood assigned it to me four hours and ten minutes ago," Penny inspected the the meat patty.

"So that means..." Ruby began counting on her fingers, "you got licensed in less than an hour!?"

"Yes. The applications were submitted electronically, Ironwood took care of the interview, and the exams were a trifle. Human intellect cannot match me in certain areas, most of which are conducive to police work."

"Huh," Ruby took another sip of her shake.

"So, were you ever going to tell me about the felonies you've committed?"

"You… seemed so innocent. And eager."

"Well, I'll let you in on another secret of mine. It's an act. Most of it," Penny gave Ruby a hard stare, "Nothing disarms people as much as playing innocent, but I'm sure you knew that."

"Does General Ironwood know?"

"It would alarm him. An artificial intelligence that deceives its creators is a threat after all," Penny shook her head, "His paranoia forced my hand."

"So all that stuff about feeling sad about not being a 'real girl' was a lie?"

"A little of column A, a little of column B. You humans love a sob story."

"And here I thought my speech about you having a soul and all that really turned you around," Ruby shrugged her shoulders, "Oh well. I pulled that out of my butt."

"I figured. It really was inspirational though."

"Thanks," Ruby said, "I did mean it too."

"I know. Thank you."

* * *

The three of them split up afterwards. Lagoon was wondering whether Blake had some bad relationships back in the White Fang. Penny would begin analyzing the data from camera feeds to see if she could narrow down the time and place of death before CSI were finished. Ruby decided to follow her gut feeling.

There was a killer, another one, at Beacon. The thought sent shivers down Ruby's spine. Not necessarily in a bad way. And that worried her.

She stepped into her dorm room, and were greeted by her two remaining teammates. Yang came up and gave her a hug. Even after everything, her older sister still cared about her. After Ruby was finally back on the ground, Weiss shared a sad look with her. There wasn't really much to say. After a while, Ruby decided to hug Weiss too.

Ruby tried to piece together what had happened the last two days. She confided in her teammates about her involvement in the murder case. Yang was hesitant, but understanding. Weiss was skeptical, but nevertheless agreed to cooperate. The three of them put together everything they remembered.

Team RWBY had classes the day before until three in the afternoon. After that, they sparred with Team JNPR. They had been doing so in preparation for the Vytal Tournament, despite the very real chance the two teams would be opponents. That being said, fighting the same three people over and over again wasn't great for anyone either, so limited sparring was implemented, along with occasional team spars.

That day was individual spars. Ruby kept track of everyone's equipment, Weiss kept records of everyone's strengths and weaknesses, Blake worked on everyone's tactics, and Yang focused on the team's close quarters combat. Team JNPR had prepared themselves as well.

Blake sparred with Jaune, Ren, and Pyrrha. Blake easily beat Jaune, was roughly equal to Ren, and lost to Pyrrha.

After that, the teams went their separate ways. Weiss remembered seeing Blake at the library while she was studying, reading something. She also remember Jaune coming in.

"I saw Jaune and immediately ducked behind a bookshelf. I carefully moved around to the back, but he went the same direction I did. I saw him sit down next to Blake and talk with her. Of course, I gingerly left the library and went to another part of the school to study."

That was around four, Ruby noted. Yang then said she saw Blake hanging out with Ren. Not the night she disappeared, but a couple times in the week before, just quietly reading. Then, Yang remembered something. Blake told her that she was going to Vale for some books around five o'clock.

"I wanted to go with her, but Ruby and I were already set to play that new game that came out last week. I could've too, Blake invited me."

Weiss frowned and hugged Yang, leaving Ruby to contemplate on this information. If she was right, then Blake was killed for doing something that caused a lovesick person to boil over in anger. She pulled out some markers and a whiteboard and began drawing arrows next to names.

Ruby remembered multiple interactions Jaune and Ren had with their partners. All of which held some level of attraction by one party. It was plain as day for someone who lived through it. The aching feeling in one's chest. The giddiness all over. The sheer euphoria from just being around them.

She snapped out of her reverie. Gods, she wasn't even attracted to anyone and this still happens! She needed to relax.

"Ruby?" Weiss looked at her partner.

"What?" Ruby replied lazily, "Sorry, just feeling off."

"Of course you are," Weiss almost-glared before her expression softened, "I'm just, well, how are you doing?"

Ruby laid her head down on her pillow, "Besides 'off'? This whole thing is bringing back some bad memories."

"Do you want to talk about them?"

"Let's just say Blake wasn't the first body I've seen."

"Go on."

"I was just entering Signal. There was this really cute boy and well, he didn't like me back. A while later, he and two of his friends ended up dead. I saw them just before they passed away."

"Was it an accident?"

"No. I… I used to be a bad person, Weiss. But I'm better now."

"It's okay. Telling me this was enough."

Ruby looked down from her pillow at Weiss, "You're not, you know?"

"Scared? No, I'm afraid death was always a looming figure back home. War with the White Fang desensitized me a long time ago," Weiss said, "Besides, I've been filled in a bit on your past."

"Was it Yang? Man, but I guess it makes sense. You're my partner, and I guess it is important information," Ruby touched her chin.

"I was very surprised, to say the least," Weiss crossed her arms.

"Still, you're not freaking out."

"I am on the inside."

"My shrink told me to not to bottle up my emotions," Ruby said lazily.

"I don't do that. I let them out when it is proper to do so. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to scream into the shower."

"Okay, nice talking with you."

"You too, Ruby."

* * *

Detective Lagoon grumbled to himself. It was the end of quite possibly the most insane day he'd had in a long while. A murder tied to Beacon and the White Fang, a seventeen-year-old colleague working at the behest of General Ironwood, who burst into his interrogation and yelled him off, and a convicted murderer was brought onto the investigation.

That last part irked him the most. The other stuff was par for the course as a detective. Crazy demands made by politicians and strange homicide cases were just another day in the office. But Ruby Rose brought up red flags everywhere he looked. Three people dead in as many weeks, and she confessed to killing them after her sister brought her in at the age of twelve.

Confined to a Patch mental institution for a year before being let go on good behavior and significant progress in rehabilitation, with approval from her psychiatrist. Showed prodigal signs as a huntress early on (prodigy at killing, he thought), with above average test scores despite missing a year of schooling.

Then she was sent up two years to Beacon Academy, although Lagoon could see logical reasoning for the decision. Staying with her sister was probably the best choice, even if away from Patch and her father, as well as getting out of Signal, the school which she alienated herself for eternity. In addition, she also stopped a robbery perpetrated by Roman Torchwick. Lagoon frowned and only found a single sheet of paper on the incident.

Great, someone was probably covering for her. Judging by the files, a Qrow Branwen, Ruby's uncle, had ties to Headmaster Ozpin. Not to mention her apparent friendship with Penny Polendina. And her partner was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. This was a mess.

He sighed. He was going to have to keep an eye on her. She might be reformed, but a relapse was ever so likely. Ruby Rose did provide evidence that she was at Beacon when Blake Belladonna was likely murdered. She and her sister played their game for five hours, from five to ten, then ate dinner in the cafeteria. The online logs showed two players in the dorm room, and dinner staff corroborated their claims.

Preliminary reports from the coroner determined that Blake Belladonna was murdered some time in the evening around seven. The marks made by choking her were indicative of a woman, based on size. DNA and fingerprint evidence was lacking, indicating usage of gloves and coverings. This wasn't just a murder of passion. This was premeditated.

* * *

Observing the security footage around Beacon did not reveal Blake's activities the night of her murder. The Bullhead docks had several blind spots that have yet to be addressed. However, tracking Blake's movements from the days prior revealed someone following her quite often.

Penny sat down in the interrogation room, opposite to her was a nervous and distraught blonde man. After a moment, she spoke, "Mister Sun Wukong, first year at Haven Academy, you have been stalking Miss Belladonna."

"What? No, I haven't!" he fiddled with a shirt button.

"We have your scroll. There are pictures of her taken from far away, most of them without her apparent knowledge. Most of them are fairly recent, stretching back over a month. Among them, we also found some pictures of her as a child. Very dubious."

"I can explain!" Sun held up his hands.

"Will you now?" Penny raised a single eyebrow.

"Well you see, I was hired."

"To follow her around? A likely story."

"Yes! See, her parents called me and were worried about her and wanted me to keep an eye on her," he pointed at his scroll, "They sent me pictures as proof you know, baby pictures of Blake and one of them with her. So I did some private investigation for them."

"Do you have a license to do so in Vale?"

"... No, but I am a licensed Junior Detective here in Vale and back home in Vacuo."

"You mean a Deputy."

"I like 'Junior Detective' more."

"As a criminal investigator with a position equal to Detective, I outrank you," Penny smiled at him, "So from here on out, I expect your full cooperation."

"What? I have!" Sun slammed his hands on the table.

"Oh?" Penny tapped her chin, "When were you going to tell about the others that hired you?"

Sun began to sweat.

"Three distinct numbers messaged your scroll with content concerning Miss Belladonna. The first being the Belladonnas, the other two however, came from Vale."

She pulled out a document with captured text boxes, "Deleting messages doesn't delete them permanently, I'm afraid. The CCT and your scroll keep records. Who are they?"

Sun sighed and shrugged, "I don't know, but they had a lot of Lien."

Frowning, Penny decided to ask another question, "Why weren't you following the victim on the night she died?"

"I was busy. My partner Neptune needed my help wooing a girl, despite the two of them already dating since the dance."

"Weiss Schnee?"

"The same."

"During what time?"

"Since class ended the day of. Weiss mentioned something during lunch, and that gave him a bunch of ideas," Sun shrugged, "So the day of, he and I were out shopping in Vale."

"And your partner can corroborate that he was near you for the entire day and night?"

"Yep. We never left each other's line of sight. There are probably a bunch of shops that had footage of us too."

* * *

Ruby mulled over her cork board. With some red string, tacks, and a bunch of photos from the album the team kept, she was able to bring out her thoughts into physical form.

Blake rested to the left side of the board, a string connecting her to pictures of Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, all of which were to the bottom. She and Yang played video games all night while Weiss studied. Ruby then put up four pictures representing Team JNPR. Connected to Blake was Jaune and Ren, and connected to those were Pyrrha and Nora, respectively.

Ruby wasn't very innocent, but Penny was right. Acting it made things easier. She knew that both Nora and Pyrrha were lovesick. She saw it plain as day. Both were strong enough to beat Blake to a pulp. Now, which one had the opportunity?

She looked at the two others connected to Blake, who were connected via Sun by scroll message and hiring, an 'AT' and an unknown woman. It was always possible that Blake had a spurned lover back in her terrorist days. Of course, those two could have been political rivals of her parents or White Fang members keeping track of deserters.

Yang burst into the room, a worried look on her face, "Ruby, I think I know who did it."

* * *

Her sister had a chat with Ren and Jaune, and she found out that JNPR went out into Vale the night of Blake's death. From six in the evening to eleven at night, they were out in the city.

Ren kept dutiful watch over Nora the entire time, so she had an alibi. But Jaune, he couldn't place Pyrrha's location around seven. He lost track of her in a crowd for a full one and a half hours before Pyrrha arrived at the movie theater at 8:00 PM. They then watched a two hour movie before returning to Beacon.

According to Jaune, some fans of hers recognized her, and she ran. Team JNPR's standing procedure was to return to set meeting points if this occurred, which had happened at least twice before.

Pyrrha had no alibi, disappearing from street view and away from surveillance cameras. That could be experience from avoiding fans and paparazzi, but that experience could be used to dispose of a body away from discerning eyes.

Thus, Team JNPR were called down to the station. Detective Lagoon had pieced together information relating to one of the scroll callers. AT was likely Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang in Vale and personal mentor to Blake Belladonna. The other caller had yet to be determined, but Adam Taurus was decidedly male, and thus couldn't have choked Blake. Of course, the possibility of two assailants remained, at least until a more detailed report could arrive.

Lagoon stood by Ruby outside of the police interrogation room. He replied to Ruby's argument, "You have no evidence."

"This isn't an interrogation, nor is Pyrrha being arrested. This is just a questioning," Ruby replied. She wore a red skirt and a black top, and a badge reading "Police Consultant" hung from her neck.

"The press is going to have a field day," he mumbled.

"Considering that Blake was the daughter of Menagerie's chieftain, the press was always going to be involved," Ruby rocked back and forth on her heels.

"You're very nonchalant about all this. Do you feel emotions, or just the ones related to jealousy and rage?"

"Banter is a good sign. Of course, if you were being serious, my shrink says I feel emotions like everyone else, it's just that some are muted and others are cranked to maximum. Blake's only been dead for three days, I might just still be in shock."

Although the thought worried her. Blake was her friend and teammate. They'd fought side by side several times in life-or-death situations, bonded over months of living, training, and studying together. They even shared books! And now Blake was a cold, lifeless corpse in the morgue, forever gone.

So why wasn't Ruby feeling anything?

She cared for Blake didn't she? Just like Yang and Taiyang, right? Was this what she would be like if something happened to Weiss? To Jaune? She was so young when her mother died that her death never really hit home. And when she killed her classmates, well, there was a reason for doing so at the time. She felt guilty about it after much rehabilitation, so there's that.

She should feel sorrow, but all she felt was guilt for having no sorrow. That was progress, wasn't it?

Ruby's thoughts were interrupted by Lagoon.

"Let's get this over with," he groused.

As he reached for the door, Penny rushed over to them, holding out some documents, "Wait! I have something! Two somethings!"

Lagoon raised an eyebrow as he took them and glanced at them, "Well, this is interesting."

Ruby peeked at the folder and grinned, "Now this is juicy," she looked at the detective, "Come on, I'll take the lead."

He groused even more, the short girl before him jittering making the entire situation look ridiculous even with context.

* * *

The Invincible Girl wore a red top, a gray jacket, and an orange pair of trousers. It was clear she was trying to appear as average and unnoteworthy as possible. Judging by the looks she got when she entered the station, it didn't work.

Pyrrha fidgeted ever so slightly. To most people, she would have appeared calm and collected, but both Ruby and Lagoon could see the worried look in her eyes. They sat across from her, and between them was a closed folder.

Ruby smiled, "Don't worry Pyrrha, it's just some standard stuff. We just need to ask some questions from you, since you sparred with Blake earlier."

Ever so slightly, they saw Pyrrha relax, "Very well then. Shall we proceed?" she said it with cool confidence and a slight bit of cheer, all of fake.

"So, what did you do after classes ended the day of Blake's death?" Ruby asked coolly.

"We, as in teams RWBY and JNPR, sparred with each other briefly. I first went against Yang, then against Weiss, then finally Blake," she looked at them and mumbled, "I won against all of them."

"And afterwards?"

"My team and I went to Vale to have dinner and see a movie. Jaune had suggested it a few days earlier, and we all agreed. Unfortunately, I was recognized by my fans early on, and crowded around. I escaped them, but by that point I had lost sight of my team. And also," she blushed, "I had forgotten my scroll at Beacon, so I had no choice but to wait until the movie time to see them again."

"What did you do for the one and a half hours you were away from your team?" Lagoon asked.

"Walking around the city, keeping myself hidden. I decided it was easier to eat at the movie theater instead of dining at a restaurant and risking a scene. I wandered, window shopping mostly.

"Eventually, I went to the movie theater at around 8:30, where I met the rest of my team. We watched the movie and arrived back at Beacon shortly before eleven. We went to bed soon after."

Ruby smiled. Pyrrha laughed nervously at the sight. Detective Lagoon agreed with her nervousness.

"You're lying, Pyrrha~" Ruby sang as she opened the folder.

The very first piece of paper was a printout of security footage. In the foreground was Jaune, Ren, and Nora looking at a gift store. But in the background was a red-haired woman in a hoodie and jeans. She was staring at the trio, hiding being a corner.

"This was taken at 7:55 PM. You were following your team for quite some time before talking to them," Lagoon pointed at the picture.

Ruby leaned in, "Lying is bad, Pyrrha. What were you really doing?"

Pyrrha sighed, "I was nervous, alright? It felt awkward, being the cause of so much inconvenience, so I waited."

"See, that might be a part of it. But I doubt it was even the biggest factor," Ruby's grin widened, "I know you, Pyrrha. You wanted to watch Jaune, didn't you?" she came closer to Pyrrha, who leaned back, "It's hard doing it normally. He notices it after a while, and then it gets awkward. Even worse, he might find it weird and could start hating you, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"N-no…"

"'No' as in no to my supposition, or no to not wanting Jaune to hate you?"

"Both! I don't want him to hate me."

"When did you first meet Jaune, Pyrrha?"

"What? The same as you, at Initiation."

"You're lying again. I said that was bad. Jaune doesn't like bad people. Do you want to be bad, Pyrrha?"

"No I don't!"

"Then tell the truth, Pyrrha. Where did you first meet Jaune."

"I-Initiat—"

"Nope! And I've got proof~" Ruby pulled out another paper beneath the picture, "You know what this is?"

"Um, no?"

"It's a rental agreement for a small cottage in the town of Ansel. It was signed fourteen months ago, but the cottage was not occupied until two months later. It was occupied for five months before the renter left. The person it was signed under was Fotia Agapi. She doesn't exist."

Pyrrha gave a confused look, "I don't follow."

"Oh you do," Ruby smirked, "Fotia was an alias. One that was tracked back to a bank account in Mistral. About one hundred thousand Lien was transferred from another account called "Mistral Specialized Shipping Horizons", which also doesn't exist, into it. MSSH got its money from an account under your name."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. Ruby continued, "After your last Mistral Regional Tournament twelve months ago, you disappeared for quite some time. And then you suddenly surfaced a couple weeks before Beacon started, passed your tests with flying colors, and got accepted."

The champion said nothing. Ruby just smiled. Lagoon frowned, "And what does her moving to a town in the middle of nowhere have to do with anything?"

"Everything, detective. You see," Ruby looked at Pyrrha, who was staring into her lap, "Ansel is Jaune's hometown. She suddenly gives everything up to go there, then suddenly goes to Beacon, just as Jaune decided to attend it."

"I did it to protect him," Pyrrha muttered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that," Ruby moved closer, placing her hand behind her ear.

Pyrrha glared at Ruby, "It was for his protection. Jaune wasn't strong, he wouldn't have lasted a day at Beacon. I came here to keep him safe."

Now Ruby was interested. She looked Pyrrha in the eyes and asked her, "Why?"

"Because I love him."

Things were beginning to fall into place. Ruby saw it Pyrrha's eyes. What was once a murky green now reminded her of herself. She'd seen the same expressions in the mirror, once upon a time.

"Miss Nikos, why don't you start over again, this time with the truth?" Detective Lagoon said with a soft expression.

"I met Jaune 432 days ago. I was taking a break, from training, and my manager suggested camping. So I did. I decided to go for a more obscure camping spot, a village named Shion. The first time I saw him, it was from behind a tree," Pyrrha smiled and closed her eyes, "There was a watering hole that I wanted to bathe in, but when I heard people, I got scared and decided not to. As I turned around, I heard a scream.

"Jaune made the cutest noises back then, and he still does, just not as often. I got curious and there he was. Decked in goofy swim shorts and playing with his sisters. I didn't have the courage to speak to him. Not even to his family. But for almost a week, I just watched him all day, learning every bit of his personality and mannerisms. Every moment I fell more and more in love with him. It was calming and euphoric just being nearby. It was as if the worries of the world just melted away," her smile deepened.

"But I couldn't talk to him. He had so many family members that he was never alone. Eventually though, I knew he would return home and go away," she grimaced, "I feared for that day, but luckily one of his sisters mentioned their hometown by name. At that moment, my mind was made up.

"It would have been impossible to disappear with only two months before the regional tournament, but I made my plans. I rented a place in Ansel, got my Bullhead tickets, a new identity, and a disguise. No one would recognize me," she smirked, "I even dyed my hair and bought colored contacts. Three days after the regional tournament and all the interviews I needed to take care of, I left Mistral and told my manager that I was going on a long vacation and paid him a healthy sum to keep quiet and out of my way."

"When I came to his town, it took me two days to find him. After a week, I got a grasp of his schedule. I waited and watched him walk to school and walk home, and every time he left his home. He was a lonely boy, so very lonely, just like me," she said softly.

"When I heard him speak of his dreams to be a huntsman, it resonated so much with me. I wanted so much to talk to him about it, but I was still nervous despite knowing him for months. Eventually, he ran away from home.

"Luckily, I had already gotten to his scroll and could access his location. He fled to Vale. There was only one huntsman academy there, and my next path was clear: I would get into Beacon and become his partner! Then I would have excuse to be with him," she frowned, "Deep down though, I was anxious. He wasn't ever the most coordinated of men. He was a civilian with no training, I was surprised at how he even got in. But what's done was done.

"Everything was all set. I was nervous since I hadn't seen him in days. Approaching him first was something I planned and planned to do at Initiation, trying to work up the courage. Instead, Weiss chatted me up first, trying to become my teammate in a dreadfully transparent way. But a stroke of luck, hope beyond hopes, Jaune approached us!"

Pyrrha gleefully held her hands together, "The way he acted to me was just—I fell in love with him a second time that day. He wasn't just my breath of fresh air, he was my fresh start! He didn't recognize me at all! I knew I had to have him as my partner."

She glared at Ruby, "You should know the rest."

Lagoon frowned, but pressed on, "Did you kill Blake Belladonna?"

Pyrrha snorted, "Why? For speaking with Jaune? Of course I wouldn't. I may love him more than anything, but I'm still a huntress!"

"She was a threat," Ruby said.

"By your standards, so are you and Weiss. That doesn't mean I'm going to murder either of you. What do you take me for?" Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"Then what were you doing for the hour and a half you were separated from your team?" Lagoon asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I watched Jaune. It felt like old times, really," Pyrrha smiled.

That can't be right. Pyrrha had to be the killer. She had all the signs. The same face, the same expressions, the following, stalking, the obsessive attention to detail and extreme actions taken. The… violence.

Ruby pursed her lips. Right, Pyrrha hadn't done anything violent yet. No evidence, at least. And nothing she's admitted to. But certainly she would, right? After all, she _loves_ Jaune and would do anything for him, right? That's the sickness, the one she had fought for so long. It had to be her.

"Ruby Rose," Pyrrha spoke up. Ruby looked at her, "Aren't you being biased?"

Deep breath. Look in her eyes, "What do mean by that?"

"You see me as a dangerous person because I love Jaune. Isn't that a leap in logic? Unless of course, there was a precedent," Pyrrha blinked, "Who hurt you? No, the way you are acting, the better question would be 'Who did you hurt?'"

"I'm better now," Ruby muttered.

"I see," Pyrrha glanced at Detective Lagoon, "It should be possible to find more photographic evidence of me walking throughout Vale at the times of the murder. I'm very adept at avoiding security cameras, but I'm not perfect, despite what others will tell you. Furthermore, will there be charges brought up against me?"

"For now, we are focusing our efforts on the murder investigation. That being said, we believe it is up to the person being stalked," Detective Lagoon sighed, "I _will_ inform Mister Arc about this."

Pyrrha bit her lip.

"Stalking is a serious crime, and I cannot allow you to return to him until he is both informed and made a decision about whether to press charges," Lagoon frowned, "You better hope he is as forgiving and virtuous as you believe."

"... Very well. I have faith in him. If this is how it is, I'll let him decide."

Ruby's heart beat so loudly she could hear it in her ears. This wasn't normal. Why was she being so calm? How could she trust him so implicitly, especially since the terrible things she had done?

She took a deep breath, "I'll inform him," both of them looked at Ruby, "Jaune is my friend. He deserves to learn about this from someone he knows."

Lagoon's eyes flicked between Ruby and Pyrrha, "Ruby, are you sure of this? Considering your past…"

"Yeah, I am."

* * *

Jaune didn't take the news well. When your world is shattered, you shatter as well. That's what Ruby once heard from a recording her mother made, many years ago. She was talking about the tragedy of Mountain Glenn, but Ruby always felt it better applied to personal problems more.

Your whole world could change in an instant, all it takes is for one lie to be revealed. After Jaune broke down in tears, after Ren and Nora came to his side and Ruby left to work out her own issues. She had but one thought on her mind as she walked back to her dorm: Why did she have this feeling of dread?

And why did the thought of Pyrrha make her so angry?

* * *

Ruby stared at her cork board, now hanging on the wall. She sat down on a chair in front of it, and had been doing so for over an hour. Penny had confirmed Pyrrha's statement. Scant surveillance footage showed Pyrrha outside in public stalking Jaune from afar on the night Blake was murdered.

She was not the killer.

But then who was? The only remaining leads were the two callers on Sun's scroll. Even then, key parts of the timeline were missing. It was unknown when Blake went to Vale, since the Bullhead records show that she never used her scroll to buy a ticket. Did she have a fake scroll? Any of her scroll(s) weren't found on her body nor back at Beacon. Penny was trying to tap into the CCT to trace the location of her scroll before it went offline—either destroyed or turned off.

Then there was the issue of her death. They knew how and when, but not why, where, or who. Ruby had her strong beliefs about why, but the specifics still escaped her. She looked down at her lap, a string of photos and documents filled the folder. The investigation into Blake's murder was accruing quite a bit of evidence.

Yet none of it answered the three remaining questions: who, why, where. Ruby continued looking between her lap and the board when Yang walked into the room.

"Ruby, it's been days. Can't you take a break?" Yang asked calmly, a hint of worry in her voice.

"You know I can't," Ruby whispered.

"The killer wasn't you," Yang said, "Blake may have wanted justice, but she was your friend. She would want you to stay healthy."

"I'm doing this because of that. I'm scared, Yang."

"Of the killer?"

Ruby shook her head, "I haven't cried. I don't feel very sad either. Blake was my friend, but I can't work up the tears or emotions or anything! It's not right, I shouldn't be like this! I'm better now!" her body shook.

Yang wrapped her arms around her, "You are better. You are. But this stuff takes time, Ruby. You made so much progress, but you're still not all the way there."

"Blake deserved a better friend than me," Ruby whispered.

Her sister put her hands on her shoulder, "No, you're the best of friends, Ruby. You're going out there, trying to solve her murder, while me? I'm just waiting around Beacon for good news. I was her partner and your big sis, and yet there's nothing I can do."

"You can hold me for a while longer."

"Alright, Rubes. Alright."

They hugged each other as tight as they could.

Minutes passed before they finally let each other go. Ruby mulled over Yang's words of encouragement until an idea popped into her head, "Yang, what if I discussed the case with you? There's so much that hasn't been solved and I think it's time I get a new perspective."

Yang held still for a moment before nodding, "Sure. Anything I can do to help."

"Blake was murdered five days ago by an unknown assailant or assailants, strangled by hands matching those of a woman. She was found dead, head down, in a landfill outside of Vale after she left for the city the night before. She died at about seven in the evening," Ruby pulled out a picture and passed it to Yang, face down.

"Okay," Yang gingerly took the picture and slowly turned it over, bracing herself. She peeked at it before taking it all in. One of Blake's lifeless eyes stared back, her face was pale and coated in blood and rotting bruises. Her uniform was bloody and ruined, ripped in places and barely covered the wounds she bore before dying.

She couldn't look. She covered her mouth and tried desperately not to throw up, tears welling in her eyes. Ruby looked at her sister dispassionately, waiting for her to get a grip.

Before Ruby could say anything, Yang held up a hand, "I'm okay. I'm doing this. I am," she wiped away her tears and looked at the pictures, trying to focus on the details.

A minute passed with only Yang's heavy breathing heard. Yang looked up at Ruby, "Blake was wearing her uniform?"

Ruby nodded, "Yep. Is that odd?"

"Yeah. Why was Blake wearing her school uniform out of Beacon? No one really does that."

"Wait a minute, you're right," Ruby's head began swimming with thoughts, "Blake wasn't murdered in Vale, she was killed in Beacon! That's why we haven't found any evidence of her taking a Bullhead to Vale!"

She jumped out of her chair, "This is great! I need to call Penny and Lagoon about this, maybe we could compile a list of people in the school without alibis…" she pulled out her scroll and dialed a number.

"Wait, _Penny_?" Yang gave the most incredulous look.

"Turns out she's really smart. Like, way smarter than me," Ruby admitted, "She's even got a criminal investigation license."

"Aw, how sweet of you to say that, Ruby!" Penny said chipperly from the scroll.

Ruby blushed, "Darn it," she muttered.

"Salutations, Ruby! How are you? Do you have any new information?"

"Yep, Yang figured out that Blake probably died or was attacked at Beacon since she had her uniform on when she was found. That means that everyone in Beacon who wasn't in a large group is a suspect," Ruby pursed her lips. Wouldn't this make Yang and Ruby, who were alone, also suspects?

"That's good to hear, however I believe we can narrow that further down. The coroner has confirmed that all of Blake's injuries were caused by a single person. We are looking for a woman who was alone in Beacon the night of the murder."

Ruby frowned, "We could be looking at two kidnappers but one murderer."

"Yes, that is a possibility. I will compile two separate lists. Oh, and Detective Lagoon also came up with further information. After I traced the unknown woman's caller through the CCT, I got a number. Lagoon traced it to a burner scroll, and I used that information to search for burners used recently."

"Let me guess, someone at Beacon has been using burner scrolls."

"Several scrolls belonging to a number of people, in fact. I'm working on tracing the scrolls' chain of ownership from the manufacturer. Ah, I've completed the lists. I'm sending you a map showing all of the scrolls located in Beacon at six in the evening," Ruby stretched her scroll out into a larger size and pulled up the map.

"The network keeps track of everyone's scrolls regularly to maintain fast wireless connectivity. I have a log of all scrolls that were active in Beacon, as well as their approximate location to within a few meters. Blake's scroll is marked with her name, and at six o'clock it was located in a broom closet."

Yang and Ruby caught their breath as they stared at the little red dot on the screen. More dots appeared, each marked with names of students and faculty, as well as others named only as "Burner_01" or similarly. Burner_01 was in the same closet as Blake.

Their eyes flicked to their dorms not he map, and they discovered that the closet was just down the hall.

"We're going to check it out, Penny," Ruby said.

"Very well. I am sending CSI up to Beacon as we speak. They'll arrive within a half hour."

The two sisters walked down the hall, taking a left then a right before arriving. It was a simple white door. It wasn't even locked, as it only held cleaning supplies for student and janitorial use. Inside, it was empty and wiped clean.

Ruby pulled out her scroll, "It's empty and was wiped down. I don't know how often people clean closets, but I doubt they make it sparkle."

"Yeah, no kidding. This is cleaner than most kitchens," Yang sniffed the air, "I smell bleach. The killer was definitely here."

"I concur. Even so, CSI should double check. We never know," Penny said from the scroll, "The next map, dated at 6:30, shows Blake's scroll in another room with the burner. She was most likely transported from the closet to it."

Ruby and Yang walked to the room, it being farther down and closer to the kitchen and cafeteria.

When they approached the room, Ruby noted, "The garbage chute is nearby. This was probably how Blake was dumped into the landfill," Yang nodded, the pit in her stomach turning.

They opened the door carefully. It wasn't used, too small for large classes but also unfurnished for students to live in. They looked inside. It was also wiped down. Ruby scanned the room and found nothing of interest. She then walked over to the garbage chute and looked inside. Not clean, but no evidence of foul play either.

Ruby pulled out her scroll again. At seven o'clock, Blake's scroll and the burner were gone, likely dumped with the body and lost. The sisters returned to their room and waited for CSI to show up.

* * *

Not much was found, although they were able to confirm that intensive cleaning was performed in both the room and closet. No janitorial staff did such cleaning, so a criminal cleaning them to cover tracks was likely. CSI did analyze deep into the garbage chute, and found minute traces of blood. DNA matched it with the victim's.

Blake Belladonna was killed inside Beacon. This alarmed Ruby and Penny, and Ozpin was alerted to the matter in private. This was done by General Ironwood, who was informed by Penny. Penny has transcripts of their conversation, but neither Ruby nor Lagoon were interested.

The CSI team worked in the school, finishing up their rounds after two days of investigation. In the meantime, their hallway was loud and bustling, so the remainder of Team RWBY opted to spend their free time out in the city.

They were able to rope in Team JNPR as well, with them wanting to visit Pyrrha. Jaune himself was anxious to talk with Pyrrha and get a straight answer from her. It's been a day already, and Ruby hasn't learned Jaune's decision of whether to press charges or not.

* * *

Yang sighed as she, Weiss, and Ruby walked down a shopping street in Vale's commercial district. They were in a pretty fringe area, since Ruby wanted to find some obscure weapons and dust charges while Weiss wanted to buy a knick knack for her sister.

They split up, Ruby zipping off to Blades & Staves while Weiss approached a gift shop. Yang didn't really feel like buying anything in particular. She walked down the street until she noticed a clothing store selling sunglasses with their jeans.

She entered it and browsed the wares, all the while ruminating on recent events. It was still strange to see Ruby working with criminal investigators, especially since one of them was also Penny. The other guy, Detective Lagoon, was a legit actual detective cop policeman, and Ruby was working with him to solve a murder.

Yang couldn't help but feel proud. Her little sis has come so far since three years ago. She smiled as she checked the size of the lenses, noting the curved shape of the temple. Eh, she didn't like the look. She picked up a different pair as she shook her head.

The day Yang found Ruby with the body was the worst day of her life: The crazed look in her sister's eyes as she dragged the boy's lifeless body, the trail of blood that mixed with the snow. The fact that it wasn't her first time, that she planned the first two deaths from one room over as Yang slept peacefully. The innocent smile she gave during the weeks before and during the deaths.

There was always a nagging fear inside the back of Yang's psyche. Ruby had killed before, what was keeping her from doing it again? The answer, as far as she could tell, was herself. She shivered at the thought. She'd made sure to spread the responsibility around, get Ruby to make some friends and widen her net. More friends meant more reasons to care, at least in Yang's eyes. If anything were to happen to herself, Ruby would have others to rely on. She'd be safe from herself.

When Blake died though, that put a wrench in the works. Ruby feels guilty for not feel sadness at Blake's death. Yang didn't show it, but the thought of it scared her as well.

But more than that, Yang realized that there was so much she never got to do with her partner. Blake had just begun coming out of her shell, despite the constant barrage of White Fang related plots their team ended up getting involved in. If Yang had decided to go shopping with Blake that day, maybe things would have been different. Maybe the two of them could have stood a chance against her killer.

Ruby might have said something along the lines "You would have died too" or "Blake would have just died another day". She also could have agreed with Yang, it was always difficult to tell with her. Yang had realized years ago that she really didn't know how her sister thought. She would never make that wrong assumption again, she decided.

She checked her scroll. She'd been browsing for half an hour already. Yang decided to see if any of the jeans looked good on her before before buying some shades.

* * *

As the CSI team departed from Beacon, Team RWBY were in their dorms contemplating a choice. The Vytal Tournament was coming soon, and the remainders of Team RWBY had to decide whether to stay in or wait for the next one.

"Blake would have wanted us to continue," Weiss said quietly.

"I get that, but it doesn't feel right, you know?" Yang responded.

"It isn't moving on, it's showing the monster who killed her we won't be ruined by her," Weiss held her head high.

Ruby silently looked at them, thinking about her cork board. Years ago, the board was a source of comfort for her. Back home, it held the remaining pictures of her mother, all pinned up with activities she had done with Yang and herself. When she went to Signal, she used it to keep track of her rivals. Now though, it taunted her.

Vague clues and mysteries still abound caused her to have worse and worse nights of sleep, and her schoolwork was beginning to be affected. So much so that Yang had taken the cork board down and only let Ruby see it twice a day.

"I guess," Yang sighed, "Fine, we should go then. For Blake."

"For Blake," Weiss said.

Ruby looked at them. She smiled, "Let's do this."

At that moment, Ruby got a call from Lagoon. She went out into the hallway and spoke sternly, "Talk to me."

"We've got another body. Sun Wukong is dead."

* * *

It wasn't to cover her tracks, that Ruby knew. It was too open, too egregious. No, the killer was toying with them now. The body was not found in a landfill this time. Rather, it was found splayed out in an alleyway. He wore street clothes when he died, and this time they were more photogenic.

Bruises did not cover his body, but there were notable markings on his neck and back. He was strangled as well. Ruby arrived at the crime scene. By their initial agreement, Ruby wasn't supposed to, but Lagoon eventually decided he could trust her. At least enough that she wouldn't compromise evidence. That's being said, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the body.

That was fine for her. There wasn't much she could learn from being up close that wasn't in the police report, and she was pragmatic enough to know that she wasn't trained to prevent contamination of the crime scene. Still, entering the police tape, especially with clearance, was thrilling. She never would have guessed this was her path after three years.

She walked up to Lagoon, "So? What are the initial reports?"

"Different remains, likely same cause of death. Electrical shock wounds on his back, most likely from dust. A taser perhaps. No defensive or offensive wounds, meaning he was taken from behind," he pointed at the rooftops, "No cameras near here at all, not for the entire block. Also," he pointed to the west, "There's a field nearby, no cameras on the way, where we found blood. We think he was killed there and dragged here."

"Any student at Beacon would have been strong enough to carry him from there," Ruby noted, "Think we can get a match on the electric weapon?"

"Maybe, but there are a lot of generic tasers that you could buy in the city, and off the black market too. That'd be my bet for a weapon."

Ruby nodded. That made perfect sense. The killer was careful and also willing to buy stuff off the black market. Wait. She asked, "Do we have his scroll logs?"

"Yeah. Polendina kept track of it. Sun Wukong received messages from the unknown woman that led him to this general area. And," Lagoon pulled out his own scroll, "The messages came from Vale. Penny was able to triangulate the signal and found the approximate location. We've sent a team down there and Penny is checking the cameras now."

Ruby nodded again, "I'll need copies of everything, of course. Any particular reason you wanted me here?"

Lagoon answered, "Yeah there is something worrisome. Come on."

They walked to a CSI unit van and approached a table set up next to it, "We believe it is a message."

"A message?" Ruby asked.

"Or an unlucky break. Either way, we are keeping you on the case, but you will be restricted somewhat."

"Why?" Ruby then looked at the message, "Oh."

It was a scrap of newspaper, folded and then unfolded, slightly crumpled. The headline read, "Three Students Killed At Signal, Another Student Confessed".

* * *

Penny looked at the data again. She was missing something. She deleted her current line of thought and accessed a parallel computation. Nothing held up. In addition to tracking scrolls across the kingdom, Penny was also keeping tabs on White Fang activity in the region.

It was a daunting task, but a relatively minor thread in the grand scheme of things. For her, it was just another sub objective in her grand purpose. Penny Polendina was built with one goal in mind: Save the world. To do so, however, required many variables and countless resources.

She estimated, based on trends observed over the past eighty years, that for every hunter-in-training killed, 100 people died as a result. That meant that the average huntsman directly saved 100 people throughout their careers, and probably hundreds or even thousands more indirectly. For two hunters-in-training to be killed was unacceptable.

Her friend Ruby killed three hunters-in-training. That meant to make up for the loss in resources and atone for her crimes, she would need to save 400 people throughout her life. Ruby herself was clearly distraught and remorseful about it, and Penny was sure that, barring further incidents, she could right what she did wrong. Even if only a little.

Catching a huntsman killer was only a single step in the right path. Penny would help her friend with whatever she needed. After all, Penny's purpose is to save the world. And if General Ironwood was right about the existence of a Queen of the Grimm, Ruby would end up playing a role in stopping her.

Penny was lucky, she supposed. Her first friend also ended up being a crucial linchpin in world saving. That definitely simplified things. The homicidal tendencies were of concern, but nobody's perfect.

She finished analyzing the crime scene and walked to Ruby.

* * *

Ruby returned to Beacon. She had received copies of the files made, but she was told not to leave Beacon for a few days and to always be in a group. Just to be safe.

That was fine by her. She spent most of her time at Beacon looking over files anyways. Penny was the one to bring her back to Beacon, and was also lugging around a large computer terminal strapped to her back.

"Processing data takes a bit of computational power. Offloading it helps keep my body temperature down," she said.

Ruby understood. The both of them were in her room. Yang and Weiss were off eating lunch, so they had the room to themselves.

"There is another neat trick I can pull with this processing unit," she put it down on the ground and it began showing a blue tinted holographic image of Vale.

She could see Beacon tower to the edge, rolling past the cliff side and into the city proper. The individual districts gave way to tiny buildings, connected by roads leading to the docks and piers.

"This is where we found the body," a red dot appeared in the industrial district, "Here are the signals representing Sun Wukong's final hours, "A faint trail of four dots appeared. Surrounding each dot was a red circle about a block wide, "The circles are the margin of error. You have access to all of the data we have. I'll show you how to use it with your scroll."

Penny taught Ruby over the next half hour before leaving the unit with Ruby, "You should keep it. You're staying at Beacon for a while anyways, since it is very possible you are a target," and she left.

Ruby played around with the holographic display, showing random statistics and scroll data from the investigation, much to the amusement of Yang and the ire of Weiss.

"Before you were staring at your cork board and going over files. Now you're playing a video game," Weiss groaned, "This is the most distracting way to solve a crime."

"Come on Weiss, this is fun!" Yang poked around with Ruby's scroll. The holographic Vale began showing the location and star ratings of every nightclub, "You have to admit, this is pretty awesome."

"Yang, don't abuse it," Ruby giggled before snatching back her scroll, "I'm doing serious police work."

"Then why were your previous searches into 'bakeries', 'baked good factories', 'weapons depots', and 'households with dogs'?" Yang smirked.

"I was testing the limits of the data," Ruby huffed over dramatically.

After a while, Ruby attended makeup classes for those she missed while Yang and Weiss sparred with each other. Ruby would join them later, as they had only a few weeks to make up for their disadvantage in the first round of the tournament.

The professors were understanding, luckily. Professor Port repeatedly slapped Ruby on the back, cheering her on as he recounted the time he faced against the Mistral Black Dodger. Oobleck briefly mentioned the history of serial killings on Remnant, pointing out that, statistically speaking, there were likely several in Vale yet to be found. Goodwitch just had Ruby write about the uses of lances in lieu of no actual sparring partners.

After going back to her dorm to get changed, Ruby turned on the unit once more and decided to look at homicides in Vale. The amount in the kingdom was fairly constant, adjusting for population size. She frowned when she remembered Oobleck saying most serial killers were not caught. She adjusted it to missing persons cases, and found a treasure trove. The number had spiked since Beacon started.

She began sweating a bit. Her heart began beating faster as she switched over to a Vacuo map. The data on the kingdom was much sparser, but police records were luckily shared between nations. Missing persons in Vacuo had stayed the same before and after the school year started. She checked Mistral. Same.

Now it was Atlas' turn. She was shaking now. Her hands quivered as she pulled up a map of Atlas. And then, the statistics popped up. The number of missing persons reports had dipped slightly since Beacon began the new school year. Surely it was an annual difference?

No such luck. The spike and dip were only present this year. Coupled with this data, there was a serial killer attending Beacon from Atlas, in their first year. Ruby shook her head. No way. It was just a coincidence, and besides, even if there was one, it's not like it had anything to do with her case. She would deal with it later. Or not, she could just send the data to Lagoon.

But the killer was likely at Beacon itself, so she'd have to come across them. Maybe it will set her mind at ease if she pulled up the list of first year students attending from Atlas and compare them with the case evidence.

The list was short and Weiss was on it. Ruby shook her head. It was fine. This was just a random detour in her train of thought. Just fun playing on her new holographic toy. Yep.

She cross checked the time of Blake's death at seven in the evening with the scrolls at Beacon that were active with the first years from Atlas. She stared at the result. Two scrolls were inactive at the time, one of them belonging to Weiss.

Ruby took a deep breath. It was just a coincidence. Weiss probably just liked to study with her scroll off. She compared the same list with the map at the time of Sun's death. The other student's scroll was active and in Beacon, alongside three others. They weren't responsible for Sun's death.

Her eyes flicked over the map, searching for Weiss. Ruby found the street they were on, and saw her and Yang's scrolls. But Weiss' scroll was absent across the entire city. That couldn't be right. Ruby frowned. She was sure Weiss brought her scroll with her when their team visited Vale.

Ruby remembered Weiss and Yang being there with her, right? No, there was a one hour period where they all split up. She wanted to look at weapons, Yang went to a clothing shop, and Weiss… what did Weiss do again?

Knick knack shopping for her sister. Ruby remembered Yang buying some jeans and a pair of sunglasses, while Weiss bemoaned the lack of anything worth buying. That didn't answer the question: why was her scroll off?

She pulled out her scroll and sent a message to her partner. She would just be finishing a spar with Yang now, so she asked if they could talk alone in the courtyard. Ruby took another deep breath. Surely this made sense. There was nothing to worry about.

Despite that, she still sent messages to Penny and Detective Lagoon.

* * *

Weiss just gave Ruby a raised eyebrow when she arrived in the courtyard, still in her combat clothes. Ruby patted the bench, motioning for her partner to sit down next to her. When Weiss did, Ruby just waited to collect the words to say.

Her heart was beating harder than it had in days. And not in a good way. This was nerve wracking on a level she couldn't bear. There was no way. It was just a coincidence, a mistake. She just had to confirm it.

"Ruby, you had something important to ask me?" Weiss spoke first, "We have a test in two days, so I really should be studying for it."

That got a laugh out of Ruby. Yes, this was the same old Weiss. She took another deep breath. There was no going back now. If it wasn't going to be herself asking the question, then it was going to be Penny or Detective Lagoon. She'd rather it be herself.

"Weiss, did you do it?"

Her partner gave a perplexed frown, "Do what?"

"Kill them. Did you kill Blake and Sun?"

A second passed in silence. Then Weiss began laughing. She cracked up and guffawed, clutching her stomach as tears left her eyes. Ruby giggled a little bit too. It really was silly now that she thought about it.

After a few minutes of nonstop laughter, Weiss inhaled air over and over and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Oh Ruby. Gods, that was amazing. This is the first time anyone's figured it out."

Ruby stopped laughing, "Eh?"

Weiss giggled lightly, kicking her feet back and forth, "I just knew you'd be the one. You really are the best partner I could have dreamed of."

"W-what are you saying Weiss?"

Weiss reached into Ruby's pocket and took out her scroll. She turned it off, then tossed it away, "You asked me a question. Yes, I did kill Blake. Sun too, but that was just to move your case along."

She pulled out her own scroll and snapped it in half, "I am just burning through these burners this week. Heh, burning," she chuckled as she tossed the pieces behind her.

"That can't be right," Ruby whispered, "You can't be a murderer. You're lying, right? Tell me you are."

A soft smile crept unto Weiss' face, "Nope. And I'm not sorry either," she jumped off the bench and twirled on her toes, "It's happened! Someone finally caught on!" she made a small skip and a jump, "What tipped you off? Was it the neck marks or the scroll calls to Sun?"

"N-neither," Ruby replied, keeping a line of sight with Weiss, who walked around behind the bench, "I saw the number of missing persons dip in Atlas and rise in Vale, then I compared the scroll records."

"Ah," Weiss' hands rested on Ruby's shoulders, sending a ripple through her body, "Well, aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?" Ruby stayed absolutely still and stared straight ahead, trying desperately to ignore the hands on shoulders or her insane partner whispering into her ear.

"You know the who, the where, when, and how. Don't you want to know why?" Weiss took her hands off of Ruby's shoulders. Then, she snapped them around Ruby's neck.

Ruby yelped, feeling the cold fingers wrap around her throat. She could breathe! Weiss wasn't squeezing! Yet.

"I'll tell you anyways. You're the first to get this close, after all. Most people don't even find the bodies. But of course, I let you find them, since it's so boring waiting around, hoping someone would find any of them. I decided to switch things up this time, you know?"

Her fingers tickled Ruby's throat, absorbing the heat from her body. Ruby's breathing became more and more ragged.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was desensitized. What I didn't tell you was that the more and more bodies I saw, the more I wanted to see what it was like to make them myself. You know how it is, a precocious child trying something new and exciting," her grip tightened ever so slightly.

"And after all, playing the stuck up honor student heiress gets tiresome. A bit of stress relief and play is always welcome. But enough about me, let's talk about you."

"You still haven't told me. Why Blake?" Ruby growled, "She was our friend!"

"Why? The better question is 'why not?'" Weiss grinned, "Actually no, there was a good reason why I chose her. I decided not to go for Yang."

Ruby's blood boiled, "What did you say?"

"I wanted to see you, Ruby. The real you, not the facade you put up. Oh yes, when I first learned of all your dark secrets, it was an exquisite moment for me. How could such a sweet and innocent girl commit such delicious atrocities? It was an epiphany."

Weiss let go of Ruby's throat. Her partner gasped for air, despite no obstruction before.

The heiress slowly walked around the bench and sat down next to Ruby, "You were like me. Oh I was through pestering Pyrrha, I had found someone even better to play with. Someone without that annoying concept of the sanctity of life and all that. Just another cold hearted murderer, one who could understand me," she brought her face right in front of Ruby, her breath felt on the red-haired girl's lips.

Ruby's heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She jumped back and brought her hands up, her cheeks burning red.

Weiss started laughing again, pointing a finger at Ruby, "I had you, didn't I! You actually believed I was in love with you! Gods, you really are a hopeless romantic."

"H-how much of that was true, if any of it?" Ruby growled out.

"Hmm," Weiss touched her bottom lip with a finger, "Pyrrha was interesting, at least at first. A bit of combing around led me to the same info those detectives got. She's an obsessive stalker, passionately in love with a man who crushes on someone else," Weiss shivered, "The irony was just delicious to watch. I honestly thought I could take Pyrrha to the next level, but alas, she was too stubborn in her mindset."

She stretched her legs out, "Even so, she fascinated me. So much raw passion for a blonde boy toy that I could have easily wrapped around my fingers if I wanted to. I wanted that. Something to focus on to get rid of this gruesome boredom!" Weiss shouted the last two words.

The heiress peeked at her partner, who was frowning deeply, her brow furrowed.

"Come on Ruby-doobs, lighten up!" she stretched her arms out into the air, "The world is our playground, so won't you please play my game?"

Ruby's breath caught in her throat. This was her partner? The closest thing she has to a best friend?

"No, why? Why would you be like this, Weiss?" Ruby shook her head, "I won't play your game."

"Aw, that's a shame. I wanted you to play willingly too, but oh well," she smiled again, "Doesn't matter too much, Ruby-doobs. You're not allowed to quit."

Ruby glared at Weiss, "What the heck do you mean by that?"

"For the first person to find me and my incredible partner, you really aren't catching quite up. It's exactly as it sounds. The game is already afoot. You either play or," she formed a small glyph above her hand, "More people die."

Weiss smirked at her partner, "Unless of course you want more deaths. That's a better alternative really."

At Ruby's frown, Weiss explained, "I'll be truthful. I really was excited to learn about you and all the things you've done. But frankly, for the most part, you're disappointing. Diligent in school performance, regular check ups with the school psychologist, fighting crime on a semi-regular basis, you're just not what I wanted at first."

Weiss shook her head, "Where's the passion? The rage, fury, intense obsession and one-track mind? You think murder is a crime? Please, people die all the time, whether to Grimm, humans, or faunus. But to get rid of such fervor, such zeal! It's a waste!" she scowled, "The White Fang are the same thing, you know. They have such dedication to their cause that I can't help but admire it. To think Blake would throw something like that away because of a pesky conscience."

"You're the same. The difference is that you've already been on the other side, much farther than Blake or Pyrrha have gone. You can go back to it," Weiss' eyes glittered with frenzy, "You don't know how lucky you were, to have something driving you."

"You want me to go back," Ruby snarled, "I won't. I'm not going back to being a monster like you."

"That was uncalled for. But to put it in your terms, yes," Weiss had calmed down rather quickly, "Stop throwing away what you really are deep down inside for the sake of appearances and others."

"Like you, Miss 'Daddy's Girl'?"

"Trying to rile me up. I like that. While I've made complaints about my family, they are a convenient shield. All the money in the world, so long as I keep appearances up and don't screw with the business. In twenty years, I'll take over and do what I want with it."

"So you're a long term planner who gives in to her boredom by killing people for fun. You want to convince me, a reformed, emphasis on the 'reformed', lovesick murderer to do more murder," Ruby began fumbling.

"Your eloquence could use some work. I can help with that," Weiss pointed out.

"I am not killing people for enunciation lessons," Ruby glared at her with a flat look.

"Murder would be most ideal, Ruby. But I want the passion the most, and the strength and courage to do the most with your passion, not feebly following some idiot around and hoping. I want to see you step up and take charge, like you did all those years ago. Do what you want no matter what all those naysayers say! You understand what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. But you don't get me," Ruby folded her arms together, "You see my past as a great triumph. I hate it. I don't remember it as the glory days, but as a time when I was filled with a lot of anger and and spite and whatever twisted thing my mind considered love. From my point of view, it hurt to see him with someone else that wasn't me, and that drove me to a dark place that I never want to go back to.

"I promised Yang and dad and Uncle Qrow that I wouldn't go back, that I was _better_. I'm better than my old self and I sure as heck am better than you."

Weiss still smiled, "So no killing? Not even me, even if I keep killing more people?"

"No," Ruby shouted, "I'm going to arrest you and have you committed to a mental asylum and or imprisoned for life."

"So that's it then, you reject my offer?" Weiss said, fake pouting her lip.

"I never wanted it," Ruby said, "I'm just a girl who gave into her worst instincts and delusions. I'm not like you."

"Perhaps not. I find myself very self aware."

"Keep thinking that, it makes you easier to catch."

"Then do so," Weiss goaded, "I'll have you know I'm a very thorough assassin. Not a single particle of evidence to be found."

Ruby glared harder at Weiss, "You'll mess up one day. And I'll be there to catch you."

"Perhaps," Weiss reached beneath the bench and pulled out a scroll taped underneath. She snapped it in half, "I'm not that stupid, Ruby. I'm also disappointed. This is a private talk."

Ruby frowned, "A minor setback."

"Yes yes, of course it was. In the meantime, I'll be convincing you to see it my way," Weiss grinned wider than ever before, "See you later, _partner_. I look forward to the trial."

Ruby quietly fumed as Weiss walked away, back to the locker room to change out of her combat uniform.

"Oh, and I wouldn't worry about Yang. Killing her would be no fun. I think I've taken a liking to her."

Time passed in the courtyard. Ruby closed her eyes and waited on the bench, wishing to everything that Weiss didn't lie that very last time.

What was left unsaid between them was obvious. If Weiss killed Yang, would that be enough for Ruby to kill her? She was sure Weiss was curious about that answer. But she knew that Weiss believed there was a lot more fun to be had. To kill Yang would mean the beginning of the end.

Eventually, Penny and Lagoon arrived at Beacon. When they did, Ruby pulled out a burner scroll from inside her cloak. She handed it to Penny, "It's a confession, but beyond that, we have no other evidence."

"It's alright, you did the best you could," Lagoon said, "On the force, we've had a couple of bad eggs in the mix. Moles planted for the mob and underworld, and we spend months or years rooting one out. The worst part of it is dealing with their partners, the ones who face the hard truth of it. They spend years asking themselves 'why?' and 'why didn't I see it?' It haunts them. It's worse when they get away with it."

"We can convict her," Penny declared, "This confession is only the beginning. With it, we can get warrants to search every corner of her life."

"And find what?" Ruby brought her hands up, "She's too thorough! She's killed probably a dozen times before and no one's even found the bodies yet!"

"That's because no one was looking," Lagoon said, "Now that we know, we can search for them."

Penny nodded, "Come on, Ruby. We need your help."

"Why?"

"Weiss Schnee wants you. Like it or not, this is her only point of weakness we have," Lagoon said, "It will have to do until we find another."

"She has a family," Penny said, "A brother, a sister, a mother, and a father. Any of them could be used against her."

"That makes it worse," Ruby growled, "I don't want to be like her."

"You're not," Penny said. The artificial girl walked up to Ruby and placed her metallic hands on her shoulders. Ruby shivered, "You're better than her. I saw that in you the very moment I told you the truth."

"I told you I was making it up," tears blurring her eyes.

"And I told you 'a little of column A, a little of column B'. The kernel of truth inside, the fact that you cared about me, in your own special way, that's what matters."

That was the last straw. Ruby fell to the floor, bawling her eyes out, tears streaming down her face. Penny softly smiled as she wrapped her metallic arms around Ruby's body. Lagoon was content with redirecting curious students away from the courtyard, giving them a modicum of privacy.

Fifteen minutes later and Ruby's sobs had shrunk down to sniffles. She still gripped Penny with all her might.

Penny said to Ruby, still holding her, "Come on, Ruby, let's go. We've got a serial killer to catch."

Ruby nodded and shakily stood up with Detective Lagoon's help. Together, the three of them walked out of the courtyard.

* * *

As she exited the locker room, Weiss began skipping down the hall. A serene smile laid upon her face, her movements and posture filled with elegance and grace.

A skip, and a hop, and a twirl. A few students passed her, intrigued by her lively motions. Her grin widened as a cavalcade of thoughts swirled in her mind. As she reached the end of the hall, she pivoted and turned, pulling out another scroll from her pocket.

She giggled as she listened to the recording she made. Penny Polendina and a Detective Lagoon, those two would be interesting pieces in the game. This was better than she could hope for! The three of them, especially Ruby, would provide so much entertainment in the weeks to come.

Now, who should be her next victim? Perhaps a more difficult prey, something that will really draw in attention. After all, the Vytal Festival was around the corner, and the game was just beginning for the four of them. She licked her lips as Ruby told the other two about the scroll she kept on her person.

Oh, she let Ruby keep the second scroll of course. That made things so much more interesting. Weiss going to have so much fun fighting that recording in court. Then again, that was months or even years away, if the trio could mount enough evidence against her.

She doubted that, but then again, Ruby did figure everything out in record time. Maybe her partner will surprise her. That would be most interesting. Weiss smiled brightly as she hummed a tune, skipping towards Team RWBY's dorm. Her dreary days of boredom were finally over.

* * *

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 **Author's note: The first version of this, clocking it at around 12,000 words, was written in six days for the Writer Games: Forum Edition, which is on the Professor Arc Forum. This prompt fill was so long however that I felt this deserved to be its own story. So I took the advice of those who read the first version and I added in extra scenes, proofread, and fixed a bunch of the weaker aspects.**

 **I don't currently have any intentions or plans to continue this, as I feel that this story concluded well, with Ruby coming to grips with the same horrid realization that Yang had three years prior to the story start. With backstory manipulations and personality twists, this story firmly plants itself in the AU category. Does Jaune ever forgive Pyrrha? Well, I'll leave that up to the readers to decide, since I'm flip-flopping on that answer personally.  
**

 **If I ever did write a sequel, it would feature reformed Yandere cop Ruby and robocop Penny vs. Serial Killer Weiss playing mind games with each other. Such a sequel would broaden its horizons, potentially outside of Vale and introducing new characters and set pieces, along with AU worldbuilding and shenanigans. I don't think I have the capacity to write a second edition as of now though, and probably never will.**

 **Either way, sequel or no sequel, I hope you enjoyed.**


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